Charlie McAvoy has made it from the Long Beach Ice Arena to the 2026 Winter Olympics. The Long Beach native and NHL pro will play for Team USA in men’s ice hockey at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games. McAvoy is the sole Long Islander competing in this year’s Olympics.
While he could’ve followed in his father’s footsteps working in the family’s plumbing and heating business in operation since 1926, it was clear from the start that McAvoy belonged on the ice.
McAvoy attended Long Beach High School for his freshman year before moving to Michigan to take part in the US National Team Development program. A lifelong athlete, he progressed through youth hockey playing for the Long Beach Apple Core, the Long Island Gulls and the New Jersey Rockets, before being drafted as a defenseman by the Boston Bruins in 2016. McAvoy is regularly lauded for his in-game performance, making the 2018 NHL All-Rookie Team after a standout debut season and racking up team-leading time on the ice in recent years.
McAvoy’s sporting life hasn’t been without issue. He treated a previously undiagnosed heart rhythm issue in 2018 which caused him to miss several weeks’ of playing time. In Nov. 2025, McAvoy suffered a fractured jaw after taking a slapshot to the face during a game and wasn’t cleared to play for nearly a month.
On Feb. 4, during a regular season game against the Florida Panthers, McAvoy suffered an illegal check to the head from Sandis Vilmanis. McAvoy recovered off the ice for part of the first period and returned to complete the game, but underwent medical examination on Feb. 5 to gauge his overall health and safety, and for clearance to participate in next week's Winter Games.
Team USA is scheduled for three preliminary matches in "Group C": Facing off against Team Latvia on Feb. 12, Team Denmark on Feb. 14 and Team Germany on Feb. 15. Pending results of the preliminary round, advancing teams will compete in qualification games on Feb. 17, quarterfinals on Feb. 18, semifinals on Feb. 20, a bronze medal determination game on Feb. 21, and the gold medal championship game on Feb. 22.
